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Background: Ghosting refers to the sudden cessation of communication in interpersonal relationships. Ghosting has gained attention as a phenomenon commonly encountered in the context of digital communication. Earlier studies on ghosting mostly focused on Western societies while, in Arab societies, research into this practice has yet to be initiated. The current study aimed to address this gap by translating and validating the commonly used Ghosting Questionnaire (GHOST) into Arabic. Methods: The translation process involved forward and back translation, expert review, and pilot testing to ensure linguistic and cultural equivalence. A convenience sample of 607 participants from Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, and Tunisia completed the Arabic version of the GHOST. Statistical analyses, including reliability testing and confirmatory factor analysis, were conducted to assess the psychometric properties of the instrument. Results: The Arabic version of the GHOST demonstrated high reliability. The Cronbach’s alpha (α = 0.87) and McDonald’s omega (ω = 0.87) coefficients indicated strong internal consistency. Test-retest reliability coefficients confirmed the stability of the responses over time (ICC 0.89, p < 0.001). CFA supported a single-factor structure in alignment with the conceptual framework of the original English version. Conclusions: The successful translation and validation of the GHOST into Arabic provide researchers with a reliable tool for investigating ghosting behavior within Arab societies. Future research endeavors can build upon these findings to explore the psychological implications of ghosting. Researchers can now also develop culturally sensitive understanding of online dating and related practices in Arab communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the prevalence of breakups and the manner in which they occur can provide valuable insights into the dynamics of romantic relationships. The manner in which people choose to end relationships has evolved, with a growing number opting for a phenomenon known as ghosting, which is a dissolution strategy in which one partner abruptly ceases all communication to terminate the relationship. The goal of this study is to investigate the psychological and physiological consequences of ghosting. Data comes from two studies: one examining the psychological consequences of ghosting (N = 30) and another examining the physiological consequences of ghosting (N = 40). Results of study 1 revealed that participants reported significantly higher anxiety and lower self-esteem as a result of the ghosting experiment. Results of study 2 revealed that heart rate significantly decreased after the ghosting experiment while blood pressure increased. Additionally, compared to the control group, those who were ghosted reported higher heart rate and higher blood pressure, but no differences in cortisol. Preliminary data suggests that ghosting hinders psychological and physiological wellbeing. Additional implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the high power consumption associated with image refresh operations in EPDs, this paper proposes a low-power driving waveform that reduces the refresh power of EPDs by lowering the system's peak power. Compared to traditional waveforms, this waveform first activates the particles before erasing them, thus reducing voltage polarity changes. Additionally, it introduces a specific duration of 0 V voltage during the activation phase based on the physical characteristics of the electrophoretic particles to reduce the voltage span. Finally, a particular duration of 0 V voltage is introduced during the erasure phase to minimize the voltage span while ensuring the stability and consistency of the reference gray scale. The experimental results demonstrate that, in standard power tests, the new driving waveform reduces the power fluctuation value by 1.33% and the energy fluctuation value by 37.24% compared to the traditional driving waveform. This reduction in refresh power also mitigates screen flicker and ghosting phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Ghosting refers to the sudden cessation of communication in interpersonal relationships. Ghosting has gained attention as a phenomenon commonly encountered in the context of digital communication. Earlier studies on ghosting mostly focused on Western societies while, in Arab societies, research into this practice has yet to be initiated. The current study aimed to address this gap by translating and validating the commonly used Ghosting Questionnaire (GHOST) into Arabic. Methods The translation process involved forward and back translation, expert review, and pilot testing to ensure linguistic and cultural equivalence. A convenience sample of 607 participants from Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, and Tunisia completed the Arabic version of the GHOST. Statistical analyses, including reliability testing and confirmatory factor analysis, were conducted to assess the psychometric properties of the instrument. Results The Arabic version of the GHOST demonstrated high reliability. The Cronbach’s alpha (α = 0.87) and McDonald’s omega (ω = 0.87) coefficients indicated strong internal consistency. Test-retest reliability coefficients confirmed the stability of the responses over time (ICC 0.89, p

Romantic rejections are a hurtful yet common occurrence in online dating. While research in this area is growing, there is a need for a comprehensive and comparative overview to understand these rejection experiences better. This article presents the results of two cross-sectional survey studies that aimed to create a more comprehensive overview of multiple facets of rejections in online dating, particularly the types of rejections used, the (provided) reasons for rejecting, and the painfulness of being rejected. Results of Study 1 (n = 177) show that ghosting was the most often experienced rejection type, even when a considerable number of messages was exchanged before the rejection. Unmatching/blocking and rejections with an explanation occurred less but equally often. Moreover, individuals who experienced rejections with an explanation reported the highest painfulness rates, which raised important questions about the reasons behind such explicit rejections. Study 2 further unpacked the provided rejection reasons, from the rejecter and the rejectee perspective. Five categories were identified among the reasons, such as (lack of) attraction and reasons related to relationship investment. Several interesting discrepancies that emerged between reasons provided by rejecters versus rejectees are discussed. Our work underlines the multifaceted nature of rejection experiences in online dating and sets directions for future research that further explores the relationships between rejection types, reasons, and painfulness in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many social ties end when one side rejects the other, but rejection does not need to happen directly. Ghosting—the act of ending a relationship by ignoring another person's attempts to connect—is a common way of ending social ties. The present experiments first establish the key characteristics of ghosting and distinguish it from other rejection behaviors (Pilot Studies 1a–1c). The experiments then proceed to explore the relational and motivational implications of this behavior, finding that ghosters (those who ghost) care about the well-being of ghostees (those who are ghosted) more than ghostees realize. This result occurs in recalled instances of ghosting (Experiment 1), when ghosting in real time (Experiment 2), and when refraining from ghosting is monetarily costly (Experiment 3). We find that this occurs partly because ghostees underestimate the other-oriented motives involved in ghosting, misunderstanding that ghosters ghost partly as a way to end a tie while avoiding hurting ghostees' feelings (Experiments 4–6). Indeed, greater other-oriented motives lead to a higher likelihood of ghosting others (Experiment 7). A final experiment finds relational consequences whereby ghostees miss out on opportunities for future help exchange due to their underestimation of the extent to which ghosters care about them (Experiment 8). Ghosting is social rejection without explanation or feedback, but not without care. This study highlights how prosocial motives can drive rejection behaviors and the role of interpersonal accuracy in mitigating the negative effects of social rejection. Public Significance Statement: Ghosting—the act of ending a relationship by ignoring another person's attempts to connect—is a common way of ending social ties. The present research establishes the key characteristics of ghosting and distinguishes it from other rejection behaviors. The present research also finds a systematic gap between how ghosters (those who ghost) and ghostees (those who are ghosted) experience ghosting. Specifically, ghostees underestimate the extent to which ghosters care about their well-being, a judgment that occurs because ghostees misunderstand ghosters' prosocial motives and leads ghostees to miss out on opportunities for future help from ghosters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ghosting, or ignoring someone to end a relationship, is often considered a harmful aspect of growing digital connectivity. However, research on ghosting has focused on the experiences of European/European Americans in romantic contexts. Thus, we broadly explored experiences of being ghosted among 29 undergraduates primarily from underrepresented populations (75.9% Latinx, 6.9% Asian, 6.9% Black) in the United States. We conducted face‐to‐face semi‐structured interviews regarding general experiences with being ghosted, a memorable experience of being ghosted, and attitudes toward ghosting. Inductive thematic analysis yielded eight themes surrounding the process of being ghosted (Sensing Shifts in Communication Patterns), ghosting attributions (Unreciprocated Feelings, Incompatibility), responses to ghosting (Stages of Grief, Various Coping Methods, Lost Respect for Ghoster, Insight from Experiencing Both Sides), and ghosting attitudes (Good Reasons). Future research might examine the role of both individual (e.g., cultural values) and situational (e.g., ghosting circumstance) factors in various trajectories of ghosting responses, as well as the psychological consequences of these trajectories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Media Education - Studi, Ricerche e Buone Pratiche is the property of Firenze University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: “Ghosting” refers to the practice of abruptly cutting off all contact with a person with whom you have been in constant correspondence. The break comes without warning and without understandable provocation. The term most commonly applies to online romantic relationships. The motives for and effects of ghosting have been studied, and validated research questionnaires have been developed; however, there are no such questionnaires available for Urdu speakers. The purpose of this study was to adapt the “Ghosting Questionnaire (GQ)” for use in Pakistan and India, two of the world’s most populous countries—a process that involves translation, adaptation, and validation. Methods: The study’s methodology involved translating the GQ into Urdu using both forward and backward translation techniques. Convergent validity, test–retest reliability, internal consistency, confirmatory factor analysis, and goodness of fit were all components of the psychometric analyses. Conclusions: The Urdu version of the GQ demonstrated a good internal consistency, with the Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega both exceeding 0.90. It also showed a high test–retest reliability—(0.96). The one-factor structure was confirmed by the confirmatory factor analysis, which agreed with the original English version of the GQ.

Although ghosting (i.e., unilaterally ending a relationship by ceasing communication) has only recently entered the lexicon, it is a regularly used form of relationship dissolution. However, little research has examined the emotional experiences of ghosting, particularly the experiences of those on both sides of the ghosting process. In a multi-method study, participants who had both ghosted and been ghosted in previous romantic relationships (N = 80) provided narratives of their experiences and completed questionnaires. The narrative responses were analyzed by coders and by using LIWC. Ghosters and ghostees used similar overall levels of positively and negatively valenced words to describe their experiences, but ghosters were more likely to express guilt and relief, whereas ghostees were more likely to express sadness and hurt feelings. Ghostees also experienced more of a threat to their fundamental needs – control, self-esteem, belongingness, meaningful existence – than ghosters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Definition: This entry synthesizes the multidisciplinary literature on ghosting published through late 2023 across psychological and social science journals. Search terms include "ghosting" and "online dating". Both quantitative and qualitative studies are included. The rise in ghosting can be attributed to advancements in technology and the increased popularity of dating apps. It is defined as an abrupt one-sided ending, without explanation, of an established friendship/romantic or other communication connection. The prevalence of ghosting has increased, as reported by both ghosters (i.e., persons who stopped responding) and ghostees (i.e., persons who were "dumped"). Individuals characterized by dark triad traits (i.e., psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism) are more likely than others to be ghosters. These individuals have a history of using ghosting as their preferred method of ending relationships without concern for its negative impact on ghostees or, indeed, on themselves. The psychological effects of ghosting can influence mental health, although most individuals ultimately find ways of coping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: "Ghosting" refers to the practice of abruptly cutting off all contact with a person with whom you have been in constant correspondence. The break comes without warning and without understandable provocation. The term most commonly applies to online romantic relationships. The motives for and effects of ghosting have been studied, and validated research questionnaires have been developed; however, there are no such questionnaires available for Urdu speakers. The purpose of this study was to adapt the "Ghosting Questionnaire (GQ)" for use in Pakistan and India, two of the world's most populous countries—a process that involves translation, adaptation, and validation. Methods: The study's methodology involved translating the GQ into Urdu using both forward and backward translation techniques. Convergent validity, test–retest reliability, internal consistency, confirmatory factor analysis, and goodness of fit were all components of the psychometric analyses. Conclusions: The Urdu version of the GQ demonstrated a good internal consistency, with the Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega both exceeding 0.90. It also showed a high test–retest reliability—(0.96). The one-factor structure was confirmed by the confirmatory factor analysis, which agreed with the original English version of the GQ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noah Hawley’s anthology series Fargo (FX, 2014- ) has received critical acclaim for its equally humorous and violent depiction of small-town delinquency. Participating in a range of criminal conflicts in and around Fargo, perpetrators are at the heart of the series’ thematic interest. However, Fargo self-reflexively deviates from classic crime and detective fiction schemes and rearranges generic conventions into a pastiche of cultural references. As I demonstrate in this article, the series’ playful rearrangement of familiar elements also affects the depiction of perpetrators. While the series features classic criminal characters such as hitmen and gang members, it is also interested in portraying previously blameless characters who gradually develop criminal potentials—characters who evolve from ordinary citizens to murderers, from oppressed to oppressors, from victims to perpetrators. I argue that the evolution of these unlikely villains is complemented by the choice of actors for the respective roles. The “recycling of the bodies of actors” is part of what Marvin Carlson has termed “ghosting” in theatre studies (The Haunted Stage 10). By interspersing reminiscences of some actors’ previous roles, Fargo deliberately activates the audience’s cultural memory to alienate them from established connotations and create new, uncommon villains. In this vein, the series prompts its audience to reflect on their own expectations that are based on cultural conventions and problematizes the issue of role-playing in the evolution of perpetrators both on a thematic and on a performative level.

This entry synthesizes the multidisciplinary literature on ghosting published through late 2023 across psychological and social science journals. Search terms include “ghosting” and “online dating”. Both quantitative and qualitative studies are included. The rise in ghosting can be attributed to advancements in technology and the increased popularity of dating apps. It is defined as an abrupt one-sided ending, without explanation, of an established friendship/romantic or other communication connection. The prevalence of ghosting has increased, as reported by both ghosters (i.e., persons who stopped responding) and ghostees (i.e., persons who were “dumped”). Individuals characterized by dark triad traits (i.e., psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism) are more likely than others to be ghosters. These individuals have a history of using ghosting as their preferred method of ending relationships without concern for its negative impact on ghostees or, indeed, on themselves. The psychological effects of ghosting can influence mental health, although most individuals ultimately find ways of coping.

Purpose: To investigate whether spatiotemporal magnetic field monitoring can correct pronounced eddy current‐induced artifacts incurred by strong diffusion‐sensitizing gradients up to 300 mT/m used in high b‐value diffusion‐weighted (DW) EPI. Methods: A dynamic field camera equipped with 16 1H NMR field probes was first used to characterize field perturbations caused by residual eddy currents from diffusion gradients waveforms in a 3D multi‐shot EPI sequence on a 3T Connectom scanner for different gradient strengths (up to 300 mT/m), diffusion directions, and shots. The efficacy of dynamic field monitoring‐based image reconstruction was demonstrated on high‐gradient strength, submillimeter resolution whole‐brain ex vivo diffusion MRI. A 3D multi‐shot image reconstruction framework was developed that incorporated the nonlinear phase evolution measured with the dynamic field camera. Results: Phase perturbations in the readout induced by residual eddy currents from strong diffusion gradients are highly nonlinear in space and time, vary among diffusion directions, and interfere significantly with the image encoding gradients, changing the k‐space trajectory. During the readout, phase modulations between odd and even EPI echoes become non‐static and diffusion encoding direction‐dependent. Superior reduction of ghosting and geometric distortion was achieved with dynamic field monitoring compared to ghosting reduction approaches such as navigator‐ and structured low‐rank‐based methods or MUSE followed by image‐based distortion correction with the FSL tool "eddy." Conclusion: Strong eddy current artifacts characteristic of high‐gradient strength DW‐EPI can be well corrected with dynamic field monitoring‐based image reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ghosting has mostly been associated with app-dating. However, our research addresses ghosting as a broader field of face-to-face avoidance practices. The article highlights the role of avoidance in emotional practices to maintain ongoing relationships. In the case of contemporary Spain, the structural uncertainty that permeates intimate relationships-related to neoliberalism’s emphasis on individualism in the shaping of subjectivities-is reinforced by the tension in the coexistence of romantic and confluent models of love, which translates into a lack of scripts when it comes to dealing with intimacy. Drawing on the results of an ethnographic research project based on interviews with adults in the city of Madrid, we examine the ways in which social actors adapt their behavior to the context through what we have called ghosting emotions. This analytical tool accounts for those individual strategies, which, as a result of an exercise of emotional reflexivity, limit relationality by avoiding certain social practices in the shaping of intimacy. Thus, this article shows the concrete processes through which actors develop patterns shaping structural dimensions in contemporary intimacies when facing uncertainties. To safeguard individuality within relationships, these practices function as a means of enhancing a sense of control by leaving an open door. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Psychology, Society & Education is the property of Psychology, Society & Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Ghosting has become commonplace beyond romantic relationships. Therefore, we aimed to broadly understand ghosters' (i.e., people who ghost others) experiences including the process of ghosting, reasons and attributions for ghosting, feelings and behaviors associated with ghosting, and attitudes toward ghosting. Thirty‐four undergraduates (65% Latinx, 15% Asian, 12% Black, 8% Other ethnicity) who had ghosted another person were interviewed in‐person about their ghosting attitudes, ghosting behaviors, and a memorable ghosting experience. Inductive thematic analyses informed by grounded theory yielded eight themes: A Clear Cause, Avoidance of Confrontation, Short‐term Orientation, Ghostees as Socially Inferior, Ignoring then Blocking, Attempts by Ghostee to Reach Out, Mixed and Evolving Feelings, and Recognition of Harm. Our findings indicate that psychological consequences for ghosters should be further examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El fenómeno del ghosting se ha popularizado y los relatos de esta experiencia están en aumento. No obstante, existe una notable carencia de investigaciones en Colombia que aborden este fenómeno. Esta investigación contribuye al campo emergente considerando los roles de implicación y el impacto emocional. Objetivo: Analizar las propiedades psicométricas de una escala de ghosting en la relación romántica, diseñada y aplicada a una muestra colombiana. Metodología: La investigación es de tipo instrumental, de corte transversal, con un único grupo. La muestra incidental estuvo conformada por 691 participantes, con edades entre los 18 y los 40 años (M = 24.03; DT = 4.47). El 62.4% (n = 431) fueron mujeres. Resultados: se reconocieron evidencias adecuadas de confiabilidad y validez de contenido y constructo. Adicionalmente, se presenta la correlación con la adicción a las redes sociales. La escala se distribuyó en 3 factores de acuerdo con la teoría de base planteada. Conclusiones: La Escala de Ghosting Romántico muestra óptimas propiedades psicométricas en cuanto a validez de contenido y constructo, además de excelentes valores de confiabilidad. La escala tiene una base teórica sólida y puede utilizarse para medir el ghosting en la relación romántica, sus roles y su impacto emocional en jóvenes adultos colombianos.

To address the high power consumption associated with image refresh operations in EPDs, this paper proposes a low-power driving waveform that reduces the refresh power of EPDs by lowering the system’s peak power. Compared to traditional waveforms, this waveform first activates the particles before erasing them, thus reducing voltage polarity changes. Additionally, it introduces a specific duration of 0 V voltage during the activation phase based on the physical characteristics of the electrophoretic particles to reduce the voltage span. Finally, a particular duration of 0 V voltage is introduced during the erasure phase to minimize the voltage span while ensuring the stability and consistency of the reference gray scale. The experimental results demonstrate that, in standard power tests, the new driving waveform reduces the power fluctuation value by 1.33% and the energy fluctuation value by 37.24% compared to the traditional driving waveform. This reduction in refresh power also mitigates screen flicker and ghosting phenomena.

If all national identity is performative, the Northern Irish national identity offers a particularly pronounced model of this performative instability. Such precarity was emphasized when the 2016 UK EU 'Brexit' referendum raised contentious questions over Northern Irish citizenship. This article explores how two recent Northern Irish performance pieces, David Ireland's Cyprus Avenue (2016) and Clare Dwyer Hogg's Hard Border (2018), probe the unsettled plurality of Northern Irish national identity through the casting of actor Stephen Rea in their respective central roles. Rea's own personal and professional history, as a figure inflected in the public mind with an extreme range of potential 'Northern Irish identities', encapsulates the shifting boundaries of an unstable, performative spectrum of ethno-national selfhood. This article explores how the lingering memories of Rea's on- and offstage past offer a fittingly multilayered, even contradictory, representation of contemporary Northern Irish identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Humanistic Perspective is the property of Fuat Aydogdu and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Ghosting involves terminating communication, including through technological mediums, as a means of ending a relationship. Despite attention from popular media, empirical examinations of this breakup strategy are sparse. Using a correlational design, we examined the defining features of ghosting including its associations with other breakup tactics, whether it is an exclusively unilateral strategy, and the role of social media unfollowing in its implementation. A convenience sample of primarily undergraduate students (n = 260) completed an online survey describing recent breakups, indicating the disengagement tactics used, social media unfollowing, and the extent to which the breakups involved ghosting. Findings indicated that ghosting is extremely common, it was used to terminate more than half of participants' recent relationships. Most participants had experienced a breakup involving ghosting as either the disengager and/or the recipient. Ghosting was found to involve less open confrontation, more avoidance/withdrawal and de‐escalation tactics. Contrary to previous research, ghosting can occur bilaterally, with partners ghosting each other. Social media unfollowing is an important aspect of ghosting. Relationships ended via ghosting have fewer post‐breakup connections than those ended through other strategies. Typically, ghosters initiate social media unfollowing. Findings provide insight into how ghosting should be conceptualized and measured in future explorations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ghosting—the act of ending a relationship by ceasing communication without explanation—is a type of ostracism that threatens a person's basic psychological needs for belonging, self-esteem, meaningful existence, and control. The experience of ghosting creates uncertainty within the relationship and may vary based on individual differences in the need for closure, which is the desire to avoid ambiguity. Across three preregistered studies with emerging adults, we predicted that a greater need for closure would be associated with lower intentions to use ghosting (Studies 1 and 2) and lower needs satisfaction after being ghosted (Study 3). Results from Study 1 (N = 553) and Study 2 (N = 411) were inconsistent, but together indicate that a higher need for closure is not negatively associated—and may be positively associated—with ghosting intentions. In Study 3 (N = 545), participants who recalled a time when they were ghosted reported lower needs satisfaction than included and directly rejected participants. Further, a higher need for closure was associated with lower needs satisfaction after being ghosted and after being directly rejected, but with greater needs satisfaction after being included. Overall, these findings suggest that the need for closure is less influential when deciding how to end a relationship, but it appears to play an important role in amplifying both positive and negative experiences within a relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay examines how M. NourbeSe Philip's 2008 poetry collection, Zong!, and Roshini Kempadoo's 2004 multimedia installation, Ghosting, draw on the poetic affordances of digital media to undermine the coloniality of official archives. Philip and Kempadoo, I demonstrate, read colonial and national archives as notational diagrams, following patterns of marks rather than of semantic meaning. They progressively distort these diagrams through the geometric operations of transposition and projection, until the fragmented speech of black women inhabiting the archives is made visible. They do not make this speech visible in the present as much as they produce an opening to a future in which it can manifest itself. I draw on Philip and Kempadoo's digital experiments to theorise the notion of a subaltern archive – an archive of the virtual, of the not yet archivable. These artists, I argue, add medium specificity to Gayatri Spivak's original thesis on the subaltern: the subaltern woman in post/colonial archives cannot be read as text. Her agency can still be figured through the geometric, visual transformation of archival fragments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile dating applications (MDAs) are popular relationship-seeking tools among emerging adults. As offline relationship dynamics are increasingly mirrored in the context of mobile dating, MDA users are also known to experience online romantic rejection, including ghosting. The consequences of such online romantic rejection and its underlying mechanisms are still unclear. As such, the present study explored the associations between being ghosted on an MDA and emerging adults' self-esteem, by drawing on the Disillusionment model and the Expectancy Violations Theory. Cross-sectional data were gathered through the dissemination of an online survey during April 2021 in Belgium. The analytical sample consisted of 268 Belgian respondents (Mage = 23.17, female = 68.7%). Hypotheses were tested through multivariate linear regression analyses using Hayes' PROCESS Macro. Results indicated that being ghosted on an MDA was indirectly related to decreased self-esteem, through disillusionment with one's own romantic appeal, if the ghosting was experienced as a highly unexpected, negative and impactful event. Given that ghosting seems to become increasingly prevalent, one can wonder what the cumulative impact of being ghosted on an MDA may be on users' self-esteem if they remain active MDA users for a longer period of time. Hence, future research should examine these associations longitudinally. Moreover, future research is encouraged to explore potential interacting individual differences (e.g., self-perceived dating app success) and specific interpersonal communication dynamics (e.g., frequency of communicating). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on Uncertainty Reduction Theory and Expectancy Violations Theory, this study examines the relationship between unwanted persistent pursuit (UPP) behaviors and ghosting behaviors. An online survey distributed via Amazon's Mechanical Turk found that those who experienced UPP were more likely to have previously engaged in ghosting behaviors. Additionally, those who experienced being ghosted had a more positive attitude toward UPP than those who had not been ghosted, and the relationship was moderated by dating recency. Finally, the results indicated a positive correlation between views of persistent pursuit and likelihood of engaging in ghosting behaviors that is moderated by dating recency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Differences in ghosting in static and dynamic footprints were analyzed. • Footprints from populations in India and the U.S. were compared. • Ghosting occurred less in static footprints than dynamic footprints. • Ghosting occurred most often at the great toe. • Ghosting varied between the United States and India populations. Ghosting is the phenomenon that exists when a footprint has a lighter area around the tip of one or more toes or a shadow-like area at the back of the heel. To date, ghosting has been considered primarily a finding of dynamic (walking) footprints, rather than static (standing) footprints. The prevalence of ghosting in static footprints is unknown, and research on its presence in static and dynamic footprints from the same participant is sparse, as are studies on its occurrence in different geographic populations. This study is among the first to evaluate the occurrence of ghosting in the static and dynamic footprints from a particular individual with participants in two geographic populations. A combination of both inkless and ink footprint collection systems were used to obtain a total of 206 bare footprints from 103 adult participants from the United States and India. The data comprised 103 static and 103 dynamic footprints. Ghosting occurred significantly in static footprints, though less frequently than in dynamic footprints. Ghosting in static footprints was seen most often at the first toe, followed by the third and second respectively. This aspect appeared least at the heel. In dynamic footprints, it occurred most at the first toe, followed by the second and fourth toes, and then the third toe and the heel. The prevalence of ghosting in footprints from the United States and India differed in their locations, notably at the first and second toes in the static footprints and at the heel in the dynamic footprints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previously, car windshields served as a barrier against the wind or to prevent the driver from flying outside the vehicle in a collision. The windshield is therefore laminated and consists of two glasses and an intermediate layer consisting of the so-called polyvinyl butyral foil. The latest trend in car windshields is to consider the windshield as a display and project key information onto the windshield. Such glasses are called head-up displays. Various information such as car speed or route can be projected. The driver thus constantly maintains contact with the road, which increases driving safety. Head-Up Display quality is key to display information correctly without negative effects. Such a negative effect is if the displayed information is duplicated, which is called ghosting or double-image. This effect is undesirable and ranks first among the defects we detect in Head-Up Displays. The aim of this article is to compare different production technologies with a focus on the quality of HUD projection and on the double-image occurrence. The production technology enabling optimal HUD image quality is discussed as well. The article deals with a summary of HUD production technologies, focusing on the most common defect that occurs in HUD windshields and which reduce the overall quality of the product. The article evaluates and summarizes the key findings from the perspective of the end customer, but also in terms of the production process. For the driver, as an end customer, it is a source of information according to which he can orient himself in the offer of car equipment. It can be useful for production or development people in terms of processability and process costs. At the same time, the benefits and negatives of using windshields with a Head-Up Display are discussed.

Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) of whole ex vivo human brain specimens enables three-dimensional (3D) mapping of structural connectivity at the mesoscopic scale, providing detailed evaluation of fiber architecture and tissue microstructure at a spatial resolution that is difficult to access in vivo. To account for the short T2 and low diffusivity of fixed tissue, ex vivo dMRI is often acquired using strong diffusion-sensitizing gradients and multishot/segmented 3D echo-planar imaging (EPI) sequences to achieve high spatial resolution. However, the combination of strong diffusion-sensitizing gradients and multishot/segmented EPI readout can result in pronounced ghosting artifacts incurred by nonlinear spatiotemporal variations in the magnetic field produced by eddy currents. Such ghosting artifacts cannot be corrected with conventional correction solutions and pose a significant roadblock to leveraging human MRI scanners with ultrahigh gradients for ex vivo whole-brain dMRI. Here, we show that ghosting-correction approaches that correct for either polarity-related ghosting or shot-to-shot variations in a separate manner are suboptimal for 3D multishot diffusion-weighted EPI experiments in fixed human brain specimens using strong diffusion-sensitizing gradients on the 3-T Connectom MRI scanner, resulting in orientationally biased dMRI estimates. We apply a recently developed advanced k-space reconstruction method based on structured low-rank matrix (SLM) modeling that handles both polarity-related ghosting and shot-to-shot variation simultaneously, to mitigate artifacts in high-angular resolution multishot dMRI data acquired in several fixed human brain specimens at 0.7-0.8-mm isotropic spatial resolution using b-values up to 10,000 s/mm² and gradient strengths up to 280 mT/m. We demonstrate the improved mapping of diffusion tensor imaging and fiber orientation distribution functions in key neuroanatomical areas distributed across the whole brain using SLM-based EPI ghost correction compared with alternative techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phenomenon of Ghosting on social media networks is now very commonplace, anyone can use the release strategy as a step in the dissolution of romantic relationships that are being undertaken when the relationship that was originally described using an anonymous identity in an application, continues into more intense and intimate communication. through media messaging applications, where users are advised to use a real identity as a description of their account in contrast to anonymous applications that allow users to express themselves using an anonymous identity. In one of the basic assumptions of social penetration theory, predictable relationships will allow those involved to choose to disappear or simply step back as a dissolution step. This study uses qualitative research methods involving 41 sources with anonymous identities, data collection techniques are carried out through interviews with the Googledoc filling method. The results of this study illustrate that being anonymous allows other users to interpret the self-image of the anonymous account as they wish. So when the relationship that has progressed to the romantic stage and is lived in the original identity does not match their expectations or cross the privacy boundaries they set, then becoming a Ghoster and doing Ghosting is the easiest choice to do as an effort to dissolution of the romantic relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noah Hawley's anthology series Fargo (FX, 2014-) has received critical acclaim for its equally humorous and violent depiction of small-town delinquency. Participating in a range of criminal conflicts in and around Fargo, perpetrators are at the heart of the series' thematic interest. However, Fargo self-reflexively deviates from classic crime and detective fiction schemes and rearranges generic conventions into a pastiche of cultural references. As I demonstrate in this article, the series' playful rearrangement of familiar elements also affects the depiction of perpetrators. While the series features classic criminal characters such as hitmen and gang members, it is also interested in portraying previously blameless characters who gradually develop criminal potentials--characters who evolve from ordinary citizens to murderers, from oppressed to oppressors, from victims to perpetrators. I argue that the evolution of these unlikely villains is complemented by the choice of actors for the respective roles. The "recycling of the bodies of actors" is part of what Marvin Carlson has termed "ghosting" in theatre studies (The Haunted Stage 10). By interspersing reminiscences of some actors' previous roles, Fargo deliberately activates the audience's cultural memory to alienate them from established connotations and create new, uncommon villains. In this vein, the series prompts its audience to reflect on their own expectations that are based on cultural conventions and problematizes the issue of role-playing in the evolution of perpetrators both on a thematic and on a performative level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores self-reported narratives of Filipino professionals in a relationship (FPR) in terms of their online-dating practices. It examines how romantic alternatives are experienced and expressed through Instagram (IG) My Stories during the quarantine period brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the present study aims to investigate the reasons and dynamics of IGdating practices as well as how social media usage impacts romantic alternatives. The study hopes to fill the knowledge gap on the role IG dating plays in the various stages of online-dating practices during the quarantine period. The researchers analysed responses from two semi-structured interviews, six narratives or written responses, and follow-up email interviews with all eight FPR involved in this study. Findings indicate that compared to previous findings, the FPR did not regard being in IG as an important marker of their romantic and emotional relationships as it is merely their coping and surviving mechanism against boredom at the time of quarantining and their way of escaping and diverting their worries about the pandemic; hence, ending a relationship can take place at any stage in the form of "ghosting". Furthermore, IG's main activities such as posting, reacting, replying/commenting, and chatting can initiate and maintain these romantic alternatives, and the primary motivation of the FPR to engage in IG dating concerns face-/selfpresentation and negotiation. Finally, the term "quaranfling" is proposed to describe a phenomenon pertaining to a no-strings-attached flirting during quarantine, which is basically a casual romantic relationship. The current study may be a precursor to further investigations on quaranfling and whether online platforms (e.g., social media and dating apps) can be attributed to the growing number of relationship dilemmas (e.g., cheating and breakups) among modern-day couples not only in the Philippines but also in Asia Pacific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ghosting is a slang term associated with ceasing mediated communication to dissolve a romantic relationship. The phenomenon is discussed in popular culture and scientific inquiry in relation to digital communication technologies and mobile dating, but little is known about ghosting in other relationship types and the role of specific affordances. This study investigated personal experiences of ghosting with an abductive approach to consider alternative frameworks which may enhance our understanding of ghosting. We collected 23 episodic interviews with Italians aged 21 to 34 and analyzed data with a qualitative abductive approach. Findings suggest that ghosting takes place in different relationship types, though its detection and effects may differ, and that digital affordances of visibility like awareness cues, informing about others’ availability, play a central role in detection of ghosting. We propose that theories of ostracism provide a useful framework to understand the dynamic of ghosting across relational contexts, complementing existing literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Keratoconic blur is characterized by exaggerated contrast demodulation and phase distortions. • Phase nullification partially recovers the visual acuity and stereoacuity lost to this optical blurring. • Stereoacuity improvement with phase nullification is more prominent for unilateral than bilateral blur. • Discriminability of letters also improves following phase nullification of the blurred image. • Alignment of local image features following phase nullification contributes to vision improvement in keratoconus. Contrast demodulation and phase distortions are exaggerated in retinal images blurred by the higher-order wavefront aberrations of keratoconic eyes. While the performance loss from the former parameter is well understood, little is known about the impact of the latter on visual functions in this disease condition. The present study investigated the impact of phase distortions on the monocular logMAR visual acuity, letter discriminability and random-dot stereoacuity of seventeen visually healthy adults (ten for visual acuity and letter discriminability; ten for stereoacuity and three common to both experiments) using images that were computationally blurred by four different higher-order wavefront aberration profiles of keratoconic eyes that showed significant distortions in the phase spectrum. Participants viewed these images through 2 mm artificial pupils to negate their native ocular wavefront aberrations. The results showed progressive losses in visual acuity and stereoacuity with increasing blur, a third of which could be recovered following phase nullification. Letter discriminability also improved following phase nullification, more so for smaller than larger optotypes. Stereoacuity loss and, consequently, its recovery following phase nullification was more prominent for profiles simulating unilateral asymmetric keratoconus than for profiles simulating bilateral symmetric keratoconus. These results agree with previous reports obtained from blur induced with lower-order aberrations and indicate that a similar trend may be observed for more complex patterns of blur like keratoconus. Overall, both contrast demodulation and misalignment of the local features of the blurred image may contribute to losses of spatial and depth vision in keratoconus. Phase nullification may partially mitigate these losses, thereby allowing the processing of finer spatial details and veridical disparity estimations for improved depth perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this project, we explored descriptive and injunctive norms of ghosting and whether norms differed based on prior experiences with ghosting in romantic relationships. Ghosting is the act of unilaterally ceasing communication with a partner to dissolve a relationship. Perceived norms contribute to intentions and behaviors, but scholars have not previously investigated individuals' perceived norms of ghosting (i.e., how common they think it is, how they think others react to ghosting). Adults (N = 863) on Prolific, residing in the United States, completed an online survey assessing their knowledge of, experience with, and perceived norms about ghosting in romantic relationships. A portion of these analyses were pre-registered on Open Science Framework. Descriptive norms regarding adults in general (i.e., societal-level) and their friends (i.e., personallevel) differed based on participants' prior experience with ghosting in romantic relationships. Some injunctive norms at both the societal- and personal-levels also differed based on prior experience with ghosting in romantic relationships. Participants with prior ghosting experience thought ghosting of romantic partners was more common than those with no prior experience. Regardless of prior ghosting experience, participants tended to believe that individuals felt embarrassed/inadequate after being ghosted by a romantic partner. These analyses provide understanding about descriptive and injunctive norms regarding ghosting in romantic relationships and may be helpful to dating app developers in how they frame messaging about ghosting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ghosting is a slang term associated with ceasing mediated communication to dissolve a romantic relationship. The phenomenon is discussed in popular culture and scientific inquiry in relation to digital communication technologies and mobile dating, but little is known about ghosting in other relationship types and the role of specific affordances. This study investigated personal experiences of ghosting with an abductive approach to consider alternative frameworks which may enhance our understanding of ghosting. We collected 23 episodic interviews with Italians aged 21 to 34 and analyzed data with a qualitative abductive approach. Findings suggest that ghosting takes place in different relationship types, though its detection and effects may differ, and that digital affordances of visibility like awareness cues, informing about others’ availability, play a central role in detection of ghosting. We propose that theories of ostracism provide a useful framework to understand the dynamic of ghosting across relational contexts, complementing existing literature.

In this project, we explored descriptive and injunctive norms of ghosting and whether norms differed based on prior experiences with ghosting in romantic relationships. Ghosting is the act of unilaterally ceasing communication with a partner to dissolve a relationship. Perceived norms contribute to intentions and behaviors, but scholars have not previously investigated individuals’ perceived norms of ghosting (i.e., how common they think it is, how they think others react to ghosting). Adults (N = 863) on Prolific, residing in the United States, completed an online survey assessing their knowledge of, experience with, and perceived norms about ghosting in romantic relationships. A portion of these analyses were pre-registered on Open Science Framework. Descriptive norms regarding adults in general (i.e., societal-level) and their friends (i.e., personal-level) differed based on participants’ prior experience with ghosting in romantic relationships. Some injunctive norms at both the societal- and personal-levels also differed based on prior experience with ghosting in romantic relationships. Participants with prior ghosting experience thought ghosting of romantic partners was more common than those with no prior experience. Regardless of prior ghosting experience, participants tended to believe that individuals felt embarrassed/inadequate after being ghosted by a romantic partner. These analyses provide understanding about descriptive and injunctive norms regarding ghosting in romantic relationships and may be helpful to dating app developers in how they frame messaging about ghosting.

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Ghosting and orbiting occur when a relationship is ended unilaterally by suddenly withdrawing from all communication and without explanation. However, in orbiting, the disengager still follows the victims on social networking sites after the breakup. With the advent of the digital era, these practices have become increasingly common, gaining attention from psychology research. Within the theoretical framework of social exclusion, the present study (N = 176) investigated victims’ consequences of ghosting and orbiting, considering the two breakup strategies as instances of ostracism. Participants were invited to fill an online survey and randomly assigned to recall an episode of ghosting, orbiting, or rejection. Following the recall task, participants completed a series of questionnaires to measure the typical outcomes threatened by ostracism (i.e., emotions, basic psychological needs, breakup’s cognitive evaluation, and aggressive inclinations). The results showed a consistent pattern across most of the constructs measured. Specifically, ghosting led to worse outcomes than rejection, whereas the disengagers’ ambiguous signals characterizing orbiting seemed to buffer the victims partially from the consequences of relationship dissolution. Results are discussed in the light of social exclusion literature, adding to the growing research on ghosting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Ghosting" as a method of relationship dissolution has entered both popular media and academic discussion as a topic of interest. Journalists and researchers have used both observation and qualitative methods to define this breakup strategy with varying and sometimes contradictory results. The goal of this study was to create an accessible and empirical definition of ghosting and to resolve discrepancies between existing definitions. To do so, we asked 499 participants (321 cisgender women, all residing in Canada and aged 17–29) two open‐ended questions about ghosting. Participants provided their own definition of ghosting, and then identified behaviors that they associated with ghosting. Next, we conducted inductive qualitative analyses with four cycles of coding to determine the key components of the behavior that distinguish ghosting from other methods of relationship dissolution. Based on participant responses and language, we derived the following definition of ghosting: "One way that people can end a relationship is by ghosting. Ghosting is when one person suddenly ignores or stops communicating with another person, without telling them why." Our proposed definition of ghosting addresses shortcomings presented by previous and concurrently developed definitions and provides a starting point for future research on ghosting in romantic relationships, friendships, workplaces, and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]